Dead End: At Home Hair Trim

PROFESSIONAL HAIR STYLISTS, BEWARE! Turn back now! You have been waaaaaarned…

Alright, fam. Sorry for the dramatics but seriously, someone somewhere is going to gag over this. And if you’re that person, then I’m sorry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Over the years I have had many, MANY hair horror stories and as we’re nearing Halloween it felt appropriate to share one of my most shameful secrets, one of my guiltiest pleasures… I cut my own hair. I know. I. KNOW.

If you have delicate sensibilities, I urge you to do what’s safest for you even if that means missing out on all the effort I put into this post. As for the rest of you, well… if you, like me, are tired of being tricked instead of treated at the salon I hope you know there are other options available to you. I was afraid at first, too. But I’ve come over to the dark side. And I may never go back.

Firstly, I would never try to perform an actual style on my hair without some sort of tutorial or professional experience (all my licensed hair babes just took a collective sigh of relief, I felt it). However, now that my hair has grown out to a comfortable long length, I feel fairly confident trimming and cutting bangs at home thanks to the glorious Pandora’s box that is the internet. And now that I know it’s not only possible but I’m fairly successful at it (I would say don’t judge, but lezbehonest… some of y’all are gonna judge) there’s no good reason not to perform a little self care on my hair. Or maybe there are tons of great reasons and if y’all have some, comment below because I’m open to (legitimate) suggestions. But if we’re keeping it 100% real, now that I know the power behind the shears, it would take a miracle worker to try and convince me to pay $40+ for half an inch trimmed off and a face frame. Just sayin’.

Keep your hair on guys and ghouls, we’re going in…

As you can see below, my ends are pretty damaged. I haven’t color treated my hair since March. I also haven’t been to a salon since March. The last two cuts I’ve had were done at home. I don’t use a lot of heat styling tools on my hair and I try to be good about using healing instead of harmful products. I’m not the best at remembering to take my biotin supplements but I do make a conscious effort and I don’t use shampoo every day. A healthy combination of these things has kept me from rushing to someone every 6-8 weeks begging them to save my hair. But damage is inevitable. So here’s what I do to cut ties with the dead weight. *This is a dry cut (meaning my hair is not wet obvs) in which I add medium layers, a face frame, & trim my angled bangs*

First things first, I carefully comb my hair into a high ponytail and secure with a hair tie. BABES this is important: the higher the pony, the higher up on your hair the layers will be. Basically, if you don’t want short layers in your hair, opt for a mid to low pony instead that way if you want to add in more layers, you have the option. Next I comb my ponytail forward over my face so that I can see where I’m going to cut. I try to make sure my hair is as even as possible at this point so that I make the right cut. Then I use a second hair tie to secure the bottom two to three inches of hair.

“But Chris, what’s the bottom hair tie for?” It’s exactly what you think it’s for. It’s for marking where I’m going to slice and dice. Where I’m going to wheel and deal. Where I’m going to… you get the idea. For just a teeny, tiny trim this is the point where some folks can just opt to feather the ends of their hair with the scissors which is just taking your scissors vertically so the scary ends are pointed toward your dead ends and snipping in small, random movements. If you’re looking to take off a bit of length you can choose to cut above or below your second hair tie, as shown below. I chose above because I was fairly conservative my last go ’round and my hair just needs it.

No, T. Swift. We are NOT out of the woods yet. Nor are we in the clear yet, so stop asking. Just kidding, I love you. But seriously. I do not want a blunt end like this so I’m going to feather the ends to soften the edge a bit. No scary big chunks, just a bit of light texture. As Bon Qui Qui would say, “Don’t get crazy.”

Once that’s done, I let my hair down and move onto my bangs or fringe as they call them in the UK (shoutout to all my TOWIE babes!). I start by taking the front part of my hair in almost a rounded triangle formation. I comb this section forward and twist them opposite of the side I want the angle to fall. I like my bangs angled toward the left so I twisted them toward the right side of my face. I also prefer a longer bang so I cut mine in line with my cheekbone. The same feathering step applies as desired.

Now for a face frame, I make a slight part for the front portion of my hair down toward my ears following the same line as my triangle for my bangs. I comb it so it’s a bit spread out and I very carefully run my scissors in a downward motion starting just below my chin. I go at a very steep angle so as to avoid cutting a hole or shelf in my hair. This is the part that’s a bit less exact for me. I tend to eyeball it and use my comb as a guide.

I hope this wasn’t too terrifying for y’all. Bit of a nail biter, edge-of-your-seat thriller but nothing too traumatic. And it cost me nothing. I did wash my hair after this and it feels so much lighter, there’s so much more body to it. And I feel a sense of accomplishment, so bonus.

Enjoyed this wild ride? It’s not over yet, folks. Now that my ends have gone to a better place, I’m ready to soak up some goodness and tone my brassy tresses. I’ve heard some great things about Fanola No Yellow shampoo so be sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss out on my next daring hair adventure when I take on the most pigmented shampoo I’ve EVER seen. Thanks again for stopping in to see what you’re favorite hair-brained blogger is up to. Wishing you all good things, now and always.